MegaDrive20XX
Segatron Genesis... call me the wizard.
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3166706
About two weeks ago, Capcom managed to intrigue everybody by involving itself in some very odd legal gymnastics relating to the basic issue of zombies -- and whether or not it's possible to trademark their antics. More specifically, the company was seeking immunity from lawsuits relating to the general similarity between Dead Rising and George A. Romero's classic cult movie Dawn of the Dead.
Simply put, Capcom announced that it had recently been to court in an attempt to convince a judge to grant legal immunity against any attempt by third parties to sue over the game's basic premise of "Zombies Attack a Shopping Mall" -- an idea which independent movie producers MKR Group and New Line Cinema claim to own the exclusive rights to.
Sadly, Capcom was unsuccessful in its preemptive efforts at thwarting litigation -- which brings us to today's Reuters report announcing that the MKR Group will be going ahead with a plan to sue the game manufacturer over issues of intellectual property violation.
A complaint from MKR (filed in U.S. District Court in New York on Monday) reads:
"Both works are dark comedies. In both, the recreational activities of the zombies and absurdly grotesque 'kill scenes' provide unexpected comedic relief. Both works provided thoughtful social commentary on the 'mall culture' zeitgeist, in addition to serving up a sizable portion of sensationalistic violence."
Capcom's legal spokesman declined to comment on the filing.
So are we now meant to infer that the basic premise of "zombies in malls," a concept seemingly as unpatentable as "zombies in a city" is somehow proprietary? Or does this sudden and increased interest mean that MKR Group suspects a big announcement from Capcom might be planned for sometime in the near future? Hmmm.
It should surprise nobody to learn that Richard Rubinstein, the producer of both the 1979 original film and senior producer of the recent 2004 remake, is a principal shareholder and president of the MKR Group.
About two weeks ago, Capcom managed to intrigue everybody by involving itself in some very odd legal gymnastics relating to the basic issue of zombies -- and whether or not it's possible to trademark their antics. More specifically, the company was seeking immunity from lawsuits relating to the general similarity between Dead Rising and George A. Romero's classic cult movie Dawn of the Dead.
Simply put, Capcom announced that it had recently been to court in an attempt to convince a judge to grant legal immunity against any attempt by third parties to sue over the game's basic premise of "Zombies Attack a Shopping Mall" -- an idea which independent movie producers MKR Group and New Line Cinema claim to own the exclusive rights to.
Sadly, Capcom was unsuccessful in its preemptive efforts at thwarting litigation -- which brings us to today's Reuters report announcing that the MKR Group will be going ahead with a plan to sue the game manufacturer over issues of intellectual property violation.
A complaint from MKR (filed in U.S. District Court in New York on Monday) reads:
"Both works are dark comedies. In both, the recreational activities of the zombies and absurdly grotesque 'kill scenes' provide unexpected comedic relief. Both works provided thoughtful social commentary on the 'mall culture' zeitgeist, in addition to serving up a sizable portion of sensationalistic violence."
Capcom's legal spokesman declined to comment on the filing.
So are we now meant to infer that the basic premise of "zombies in malls," a concept seemingly as unpatentable as "zombies in a city" is somehow proprietary? Or does this sudden and increased interest mean that MKR Group suspects a big announcement from Capcom might be planned for sometime in the near future? Hmmm.
It should surprise nobody to learn that Richard Rubinstein, the producer of both the 1979 original film and senior producer of the recent 2004 remake, is a principal shareholder and president of the MKR Group.
